Register your business in Georgia

LLCs, corporations, nonprofit corporations and limited partnerships register with the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division. A sole proprietor does not file formation papers there. A name that differs from the legal name is a county filing.

What’s different in Georgia

• Annual registration is for LLCs and corporations. It is due between January 1 and April 1. A new corporation also files one within 90 days. A new LLC waits until the following year. Stay compliant has the dates.
• The formation steps do not mention a newspaper notice.* Check the official source if you are told to publish the articles. A trade name does have to be published.
• The registered agent needs a street address in Georgia where a person can be found in person.
• The filing total includes a service charge. The fee schedule effective September 6, 2025 is the one to check at checkout.

Do this

1. Pick your structure. LLC, corporation, nonprofit corporation, limited partnership or sole proprietorship. A sole proprietor can skip to step 5. The Secretary of State will not tell you which structure fits.
2. Have a name, or reserve one. You can file on eCorp with the name, or with a name reservation. A reservation lasts 30 days and costs $35. Search the web and the federal trademark database too. A trade name is checked in county records, not only here.
3. Choose a registered agent with a physical street address in Georgia where a person can be found in person. The agent accepts lawsuits and official mail for the business.
4. File on eCorp. Online filing generates the form for you. You can also upload papers you drafted, or mail them with the transmittal form to the Corporations Division, 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 313 West Tower, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. The form and the fee depend on the structure, below. Online filings are generally processed in approximately 7 business days. Mailed filings take approximately 15 business days. Expedited review is extra, and it buys a response by then, not an approval.
5. File a trade name if the public name differs from the legal name. File it with the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the business is located. Publish a copy once a week for two consecutive weeks in the newspaper the sheriff uses for legal ads, and keep the publisher’s affidavit. The county sets the fee. A trade name does not create the company and does not have to be renewed.
6. Calendar the first deadlines. A corporation’s first annual registration is due within 90 days. An LLC’s is due between January 1 and April 1 of the year after it is formed. Anyone who sells as a dealer needs a sales and use tax registration before starting. Stay compliant has the rest.

By structure

LLC

File Articles of Organization: $110. Online, eCorp generates the articles when the filing is approved. You do not upload your own articles on that path. The formation page does not say whether Georgia requires an operating agreement.* Check with a legal professional, and keep any agreement you sign with the company’s records.

Corporation

File Articles of Incorporation: $110. When you file online you choose a domestic profit, professional, benefit, or nonprofit corporation. A profit corporation states how many shares it is authorized to issue. S corp and C corp are federal tax choices you make afterward with the IRS, not separate Georgia forms. Within 90 days, file an initial annual registration that names three principal officers. Bylaws are not on the formation form.* Check the official source if you are told the state files them.

Nonprofit

File Articles of Incorporation for a nonprofit corporation: $110, the same formation total as a profit corporation. You say whether the nonprofit will have members. Language a federal tax exemption needs can be added as an optional provision. The exemption itself is an IRS filing, not a state filing. The annual registration fee is lower than a profit corporation’s. See Stay compliant.

Partnership

A limited partnership files a Certificate of Limited Partnership with the Secretary of State: $110, the same total as an LLC. It also files an annual registration. One that misses annual registration for 3 consecutive years is placed on inactive status, and the name can be taken by someone else.

Sole proprietorship

No formation filing. If you do not register another entity, you are a sole proprietor. A trade name is required when the name you use is not the legal name.

Formed in another state

An LLC, corporation or limited partnership formed elsewhere registers with the Secretary of State before doing business in Georgia, and needs a Georgia registered agent. The fee schedule lists a Certificate of Authority at $235. A foreign profit corporation that should have registered and did not can also owe a late penalty. Read the fee schedule before you file.

What you get back

An LLC receives a Certificate of Organization. A corporation receives a Certificate of Incorporation. A limited partnership receives a Certificate of Limited Partnership. You will need the approved entity for an EIN and a bank account. A trade name is recorded by the clerk of superior court. It does not expire.